Christ & Gantenbein Architects - 21 Models - výstava v DUČB

Exhibition curator: Michal Škoda

The second-to-last exhibition of this year presents the Gallery of Contemporary Art and Architecture one of the leading Swiss architectural practices, Christ & Gantenbein.
Founded by Emanuel Christ and Christoph Gantenbein in 1998 in Basel, their work is concerned with sustainability, not from the perspective of fashionable trends, but with a sustainability of form with a sensitive and versatile feel for materials, striving for continuity and placing significant emphasis on the relationship to the past.
They fully recognize the importance of the buildings we inhabit today, which we use and which are an essential part of cities. They feel a great responsibility for what they do, ensuring that their works are understandable and functional for future generations.
As Ch. Gantenbein states, among other things: „We strive to connect our buildings with some form of intellectual history and with physical realities in a given environment. We assert that if we do this with seriousness and generosity, these buildings will last more than a hundred years.“
They do not feel the need to be "contemporary" at "first glance" but find it interesting to create architecture that could be considered "timeless." The relationship to history is crucial for them, as it enables the transmission of cultural heritage into the future. They are greatly influenced by the work of Adolf Loos and his exceptionally timeless position, advocating for modernity through the relinquishment of the obsession to be new and the constant reinventing of everything.
In addition to their work, Christ & Gantenbein are also actively involved in pedagogical activities. This reflects a typical aspect of their practice, which is the intertwining of practice and research.
Since 2018, they have been professors of architecture and design at the prestigious ETH in Zurich. They have also been involved at Harvard University’s Harvard Graduate School of Design, and it is worth mentioning their activities at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio (2004, 2006, 2009) and in 2008, when they were at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design.
Christ & Gantenbein have many completed projects, most of which emerge from awarded architectural competitions. They always seek to see opportunity in building "something." They approach historical architecture not from the perspective of history as something old, but as an artifact, striving for an approach with maximum complexity and sensitivity. A clear example of this is the transformation of the Swiss National Museum in Zurich, as well as the expansion in the form of a new building for the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Basel.
It is also important to mention the Lindt Home of Chocolate, completed in 2020, a monumental versatile space for Lindt & Sprüngli in Zurich, or a project opened in 2021 as a multifunctional workspace for Roche in Germany. Currently, they are working on several projects across Europe, whether it is the recently completed social housing project in Paris, the extension of the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne, a residential and office building in the historical part of Hamburg, or the expansion of the MACBA museum in Barcelona. There is much talk with great anticipation about the project for the university hospital in Zurich, illustrating the diverse portfolio of the architects. The project promises to revitalize the entire district in Switzerland’s most populous city while providing a new home for medical research.
In connection with the successes in the aforementioned awarded competitions, a number of further prestigious awards can also be mentioned, such as the Dezeen Architects of the Year 2018, the Wienerberger Brick Award in the same year, the Best Architects – gold medal in 2017, the first prize Essence Award, and the Red Dot Award Best of the Best in 2016.
Regarding the exhibition activities, it is worth mentioning the project "More than One Hundred Years," prepared in 2016 for the Architecture Biennale in Venice, which focused on the concept that the present is not the end of history but merely a springboard between the past and the future, where architecture built today must meet not only current criteria but also engage with the past and demonstrate the future.
The year 2019 marked the premiere of their first monographic exhibition, presenting the project "The Last Act of Design" in Tokyo. This provided not only a deep insight into their work but also examined the instruments available for communicating architecture—whether through drawings, photographs, or models.
It is the "models" that are the central theme of this exhibition in České Budějovice, which highlights the enduring themes of the Christ & Gantenbein office, now taking on new dimensions such as building with the existing and within the existing, architecture as a technical discipline, sustainable urbanism, typology and the city or creating space for art. These tangible challenges are embodied in objects of modest dimensions, yet of suggestive beauty, showcasing architectural models as representations of a certain reality, while also inspiring the imagination of alternative possibilities. At a time when artificial intelligence relativizes our perception and our relationship to authenticity, the physical architectural model becomes a tribute to the boundless potential of interpretation.
At the House of Art, Christ & Gantenbein invite visitors to explore the open narratives embedded in each model. Among the projects presented in this exhibition are the aforementioned significant landmarks such as the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Basel or the University Hospital in Zurich, providing insight into the architectural journey over the years.